Dying Will Flames: Spirit Edition
by Rejar
Summary: Because the Vongola Rings are not your normal rings and each has a personality of their own. AU-ish shorts.
1. Lift the Curtain: Who's Who?

**I don't own ********_Katekyō Hitman Reborn!_.******

* * *

**Lift the Curtain: Who's Who?**

* * *

It's the first time in a long while that light breaches the void of dark.

The inhabitants of the endless space exchange wary glances, inspecting the tiny crack with timid premonition. Spindly veins of white against black shine with a brightness that is too ghostly to be true.

"It's not time yet, is it?" one voice echoes through the silence.

"It shouldn't be," another answers, fluttering with an unfelt breeze.

A third rolls its eyes. "Don't be all dramatic because someone switched the light on, you pussies—_ow._ Dammit, that hurts!"

"Then stop insulting your siblings!" The fourth is guttural in its rebuke, thundering through the space and shattering the quaint.

Red eyes flash dangerously. "Who do you think you are to order _me_ around? Respect your elders!"

Knuckles crack. "You wanna bring it on, once and for all?" And the tension rises palpable and tingling—

"Can you stop bitching for **once?**" interrupts a whiny squeal. Silence shatters across the void, expands in convulsing, suffocating waves of irritation. "Who is _both_ your eldest here, huh?" A dangerous threat makes its way hand over hand along every syllable and the light lies forgotten in the foretelling of a fight.

The bickering siblings shy away. "You are," they mutter through grit teeth.

"Good. Thank you." A loud thud marks the end of this one's commentary. The sound of eventual snoring has the others breathing out in relief.

Brimming with energy, red eyes point to the sleeping silhouette. "Seriously, I'm all up for having her move out of our home. Anyone with me?"

Beaming, another voice chuckles, placing a protective hand over the resting one. "Win fair and square in a fight and we might consider it."

Flashing. "Easy. Here I go!"

Crackling. "We have more pressing matters to attend!"

Beaming. "I said fair and square, not while she's sleeping."

"Stop it." Soft and gentle, a petal brush upon your skin, a flutter of leaves, a whisper in the dark, the command manages to be all-encompassing nonetheless. The group freezes mid-way in their childish brawl of pushing, pulling, poking, eyes looking up, pale in the white shimmer.

Cielo looks over each of the spirits gathered before him, taking in the faded faces left long inside the dark. They are but a shadow cast upon shadows but the future would be a bright sight to behold. "Save your strength for the new ring bearers. They will need it more than you do."

And upon his words the light breaks through the crack, ripping and tearing the walls of confinement down and the Spirits of the Sky Rings find themselves bathed in a godly glow.


	2. Transportation Issues

**I don't own ********_Katekyō Hitman Reborn!_.******

******I will be using Italian names of the Flames because the Vongola Rings are of Italian origin.******

* * *

**Transportation Issues**

* * *

Giotto once sealed his and his guardians' will inside the Vongola Rings before splitting the pieces of jewelry in two. He did so to ensure a rightful succession until the time comes that his true successor arrives to claim his right. Only then will the rings return to their original form and become one again, as strong and powerful as they once were. That is all true.

The split halves, however, each hold a different aspect of this story sealed away inside them: one half carries the will of the first guardians, their secrets and the truth behind their actions. The other half holds the powerful flames that will ignite the rings when placed into the rightful user's hands.

This second half holds the very embodiment of the eternal Dying Will Flames; living guardians to the elements that once held the earth together.

"I feel sick," Fulmine whines as he rolls haplessly left and right on the ground. "Cielo, please tell them to—_urgh_." The green-haired spirit retches on the floor.

Tempesta's red eyes are fuming in the flicker of the new sensation that is light in this world. "Did you have to do it here, you pussy? There's a dark corner, like, _everywhere_."

Fulmine tries to get up on shaky hands. He falls to the ground when the void around them trembles again. "I'm not made for sideways movement."

Well, he _is_ the Spirit of Lightning after all. All he ever does is swoop down from the sky. Cielo always tells him it would be his undoing one day, that tunnel vision of his but the young man is quick to dismiss the claim.

Still, when Storm and Lightning start bickering again, Cielo, encompassing Sky that he is, turns to the spirit next to him instead. The fine net of light stretching across the void allows him to take in the features of his female companion; a small, plum mouth set in a soft expression; eyes closed as if sleeping even against the brewing storm; white hair long and cascading down her back. "Would you mind...?" he asks.

Opening her eyes she reveals a startling blue and nods.

"—and last I remembered we were locked up inside a teensy-weensy dark box and if you can't handle people transporting this stupid box around with us inside—!" Tempesta prods the downed form of Fulmine heartlessly.

"They are supposed to handle us with care!" Fulmine cries out, swatting the probing hand away. "How many times to I have to tell you to respect your siblings—oh god, we're looping."

The world makes a sharp turn sideways and Fulmine topples away. Then the void bounces back to its original situation and sends Fulmine jumping and crashing up and down the length of the void that is the box and their home at the same time. His eyes are glazed and dizzy. "I'm going to kill whoever is transporting this... thing..." His voice trails off, suddenly very sleepy.

"Don't be like this," Pioggia says, voice veiled like a midsummer night's rain. Tips of her white hair fall over Fulmine's body. "It'll be over very soon."

"Yes... over..."

Tempesta throws Cielo an annoyed glance. Her short black hair is unruly, sticking out to all sides. "Spoilsport." She turns back to the calming Spirit of Rain and cups her mouth with her hands to yell, "Oi, can you clean this puddle while you're at it, Drops?"

Pioggia smiles, friendly and calming and caring all at once. "Of course. We're supposed to be working together after all." Tempesta takes an involuntary step back. There's something very cool lingering between those words. Cielo watches, waiting for the magic to unfold.

Tempesta raises an accusing finger. "You're not gonna... gonna..." She sulks off to some dark corner and returns with a mop. "Nothing like friendship, what do you think, Cielo?"

Cielo thinks, as he watches the Spirit of Storm clean up the mess she has complained about previously, that a goofy smile doesn't fit Tempesta's fierce expression and Fulmine's body is too still to be considered safe and sound.

He also thinks unleashing Pioggia's powers may have been the wrong course of action because she does have difficulties keeping them in check after the long sleep.

* * *

**The Real World**

* * *

Dino exits the airplane and takes a deep breath of fresh air. The long flight for Japan takes a toll on his body and he's happy to be free of the confined space. He checks for the box with the Vongola emblem inside his jacket. Even if he comes with dire news for Tsuna and his friends.

"Let's go," he says to his men but they're still unloading the luggage. Dino takes the first step of the staircase alone then.

He slips.

"Boss!" Romario yells out in worry when he spots the downed Cavallone counting stars at the feet of the airplane. The box with the Vongola Half Rings lay upside down next to him, containing the living embodiment of the Dying Will Flames and at least one of them is vowing to take his life for his carelessness.

* * *

**A/N:**

**The corresponding spirits to our beloved quartet: Tsuna, Gokudera, Yamamoto and Lambo. And since Dino carries the real Half Rings to Namimori, trouble ensues.  
**


	3. Lighting Fixtures

**I don't own **_****_Katekyō Hitman Reborn!_****_****.****

* * *

**Lighting Fixtures**

* * *

The light spanning the length of the dark is a new feature, the spirits have already established that. That it is here, slowly spreading and waking them one by one, is a foretelling sign that the time is nigh for a change in leadership and that their cut-off counter-parts are closer than ever before.

But these past times—hours, days, months, it's difficult to gauge—there has been a new phenomenom to captivate their attention: the white net of light is _flickering_.

"Please, don't be mad at me. I did that I thought was best," Pioggia says with an apologetic smile, eyes closed off to the world as is her usual habit. She reaches out in an appeasing manner with her hands, white hair fluttering behind her.

Tempesta deftly dodges the approaching fingers with a scowl. "Fulmine is _still_ unconscious. And I'm not a cleaner, either!"

This conversation has been going in circles for as long as Cielo has noticed the light fixtures flickering. And since time is difficult to gauge in this space...

"Cielo," Pioggia whines. Which is less of a whine and more of a monotonous dripple of rain on the ground. Literally. "My sibling is mad at me."

"Why, of course I am, you're spreading puddles around again! _I'm not cleaning up._"

"This only means that I am very sad." Pioggia flutters her long robes and true to her word—they're drenched and cling to her body.

"It only means you can't control your own powers. You're lucky I didn't send you off into a storm when I had the chance to."

"You do realize that your storms are only half as strong without rain?"

Tempesta's eyes twitch. "Shut up. I have the wind on my side!"

Before Pioggia settles for another retort and manages to run Tempesta into another corner, which enrages the hot-tempered woman and ends up in a lot of dark clouds that Cielo has to restrain with an uncontrollable amount of blue rain flames again, he decides to interrupt for good this time. "Settle down, both of you. We have more pressing issues."

Tempesta harrumphs before tapping her fingers against her cheek, glancing at the flickering ceiling. The light goes on and off, disappears at random intervals to cloak them in darkness, before reappearing as bright as before. "What are we supposed to do but sit around and wait? It's not like Nebbia can betray us like that bastard Daemon once did."

"Are you implying that my former master is a bad person?"

The Spirit of Storm nods in affirmation. "Well, he did betray—the hell, how long have you been eavesdropping on us?!"

"For a while. Your arguments are so inept, I have to wonder how you managed to hold a discussion for so long at all."

The net of light meshes into gray. Then into utter black. Then everything turns into a mist of indigo and suddenly the light is back in the familiar netted fashion stretching all over the void and this time it is constant. Cielo breathes out in relief. He's had cause to worry that something may be amiss for this flicker to occur and has sent out the only one capable to venture out on her own to inspect the situation outside:

Nebbia brushes dust off her wiry shoulders and pulls down her dark hood revealing a young, childish face. "We are in Japan."

Pioggia gracefully hurries over to the Spirit of Mist, spraying rain drops all over the place, and catches the smaller woman's hands inside her own. "Ugetsu-san's birthplace! Oh, I am so excited."

With a smile worth a thousand hells, Nebbia disentangles herself from the grip. "Don't touch me while you're labile, I'm not interested in eternal sleep."

Pioggia's smiling is dropping and dripping again. "At least he doesn't feel any pain," she says with a glance at the downed form of Fulmine.

"I'm not sure I like the sound of that, either." Nebbia brushes dark purple strands from her face and faces Cielo. "We are also currently in a state of conflict."

"What is the cause of it?"

"Discrepancies about the successor. Two have been nominated and they will have to battle."

"That does not bode well." The light flickers on and off again. Cielo frowns. "And this...?"

Nebbia sighs. "The cause of our lighting problem, yes. I am currently unable to do anything about it."

Cielo's frown deepens, orange eyes aglow with worry. Even Tempesta and Piogga are quiet for once, leaning in to listen obediently. "What can have such a tremendous impact on our sealed homeplace?"

"The external adviser's backside." The Spirit of Mist does not look amused at all. "He is currently drunk and asleep on us and very much smothering our home."

There is a silence that cannot be breached by mere words.


	4. Make a House a Home

**I don't own **_****_Katekyō Hitman Reborn!_****_****.****

* * *

**Make a House a Home  
**

* * *

With the lighting fluctuating due to reasons the Flame Spirits have deemed unspeakable and a lot of time on their hands to spare, they've had a talk about decorating the dark place. Well, some of them did: Cielo has sent Pioggia back to rest some more lest she drowns the whole place in her current state of power. He has also excused himself from adding his own ideas to the fray since he's growing worried about Fulmine's unchanging state of unconsciousness and has decided to do something about it while everyone is busy doing something else.

Knowing his siblings, things will get out of hand very quickly. Especially since the ones participating could be no greater opposites: the fierce Tempesta, mocking Nebbia and smiling Sereno.

"We could settle on a garden scenery," Sereno says some time into the discussion. His hair is of a soft brown-blond, lazy curls that flatter his handsome features, and eyes full of warmth. "It would complement all of our powers and you would not feel caged inside an enclosed space."

Tempesta hums in thought before nodding. "Let's make it night. That way it's easier to shift the weather when it's cloudy or rainy or stormy and the background will look fantastic." Her grin shows her canines.

Sereno smiles wryly. "It defeats my purpose, though. Can we not make it dusk or dawn instead?"

"I prefer dawn," Nebbia adds with a monotone voice as her hands draw circles to conjure up the illusion. "It's the usual time for mist to form."

"Dawn it is then," Tempesta mutters in defeat. "But make it dramatic: with mountains and all that."

The dark void around them shifts and settles on a different look under Nebbia's administrations: what once was black is now a color gradient made up of reds and roses, oranges and yellows. Where there was no flooring there is now cobbled stone with wooden chairs and tables scattered under a dark wooden roofing; luscious leaves winding their way up romantic lampposts. The background is no longer limitless dark but a picturesque landscape of mountains and valleys.

From his faraway corner Cielo is quite surprised that things have gone as well as they have and even Fulmine stirs in anticipation.

Sereno claps in approval, sunny personality only further enhanced in this new scenery. "This looks gorgeous!"

Nebbia bows in thanks.

Tempesta screams. Sereno looks to her in worry, tanned hand caressing her pale face. "What is it?"

"I thought Pioggia was the only labile one," the Spirit of Storm mutters, pointing a shaky finger at something behind the purple-haired illusionist. Nebbia turns to look.

"Oh, that," she says matter-of-factly. "You wanted to add dramatics to the scene."

"You used dead cats as lanterns!"

"It's dramatic, isn't it?"

"It's obscene!"

"Oh, you have learned a new word." Sereno is quick to disarm the scene and gallantly pins Tempesta to the ground, sitting atop the downed spirit.

He smiles at his hostage. "I thought you didn't like meowing cats. This should solve the problem."

That is not helping the situation at all. Tempesta looks at him as if he's grown a second head. "I knew you shat sun rays since day one, but I never knew the extent of it." She struggles to escape the firm hold of the Spirit of Sun's body. "Suddenly, I want Pioggia back," she mutters miserably.

* * *

**A/N:**

**This is very random. Oh my. XD **

****If you have any ideas of your own that you would like to see, just throw them at me. If you like what you've seen so far (it's a weird concept, I know), throw your opinions at me as well! I'd like to hear them all.  
****


	5. Certainty

**I don't own **_****_Katekyō Hitman Reborn!_****_****.****

* * *

**Certainty**

* * *

It's the first time they've chosen to congregate in a long while. The lush scenery of valleys and mountains flutters weakly against the presence of a featureless table and chairs.

"Aren't 'cha going to start?" Tempesta is quick to say, stretching like a cat.

Cielo shakes his head, fingers steepled in front of him. "Not yet." He taps his forefingers against one another, waiting.

She groans, unable to do the same. Patience defies her very nature.

Calm and encompassing, Pioggia places a hand on her stormy companion's shoulder. "It's been so long since we were last awakened. Let's wait just a little longer, shan't we not?" Her voice is veiled like a midsummer night's rain once more; a soft pitter-patter upon grass and leaves.

Tempesta almost falls for it. She slaps herself in an attempt to wake up. "Stop doing that!" she growls.

Pioggia smiles, cheeks dimpled in sheepish innocence.

"There's nothing we can do about our lack of vision, is there?" Cielo asks the person to his right. Nebbia shakes her head.

"Until the rings are joined, no."

"I can't wait for this instability to stop," Fulmine says with a frown, arms crossed over his chest. "The real world must've changed a lot over the past centuries."

Circling her wooden staff, Nebbia nods absentmindedly, her gaze far away and dull. "That it has." Then her eyes come back in focus, iridescent like pearls, but lacking pupils, she gazes upon the last member of their round. "He's coming. We should wake her once and for all."

Nuvola only buries herself deeper into her arms, snoring the excitement away silently.

Before they have time to do so, however, they are enraptured by a blinding, all-encompassing light. "I have returned," a familiar male voice booms, oozing with power; burning and scorching hot.

Then there's a fist to his face and he chokes and the light gives way to darkness once more. Cielo rubs his eyes to escape the stars dancing in front of his vision. Meanwhile Tempesta returns to her chair. "Don't you ever do that again, sunny boy."

Sereno rubs the back of his head, grinning. It's his white teeth and disarming smile that are blinding now. "I wanted to make events a little more dramatic."

"Don't talk about dramatics in my presence, either."

"But how else would I describe my new ring bearer? He's very energetic, after all."

The sudden statement has their breaths hitch.

"Is it time?" Cielo manages to ask, hope brimming at the tip of his tongue.

Sereno smiles and it is as reassuring as the warmth of the sun. "They seem much like our creators."

The breaths they let out are one of relief.


	6. Truth

**I don't own **_****_Katekyō Hitman Reborn!_****_****.****

* * *

**Truth**

* * *

Legends tell grand tales of nature's restless and impartial forces; they're unstoppable in their wrath, gentle in their mercy, never choose sides nor favorites save for those bearing their namesakes: the rings.

The truth would deflate the godly bubble after all.

Fulmine blinks as a breeze enters the room, and from the looks of inquiry he gets from his siblings, it's one that only he can feel. A wide grin splits his face in anticipation. The pull is irresistible. "Wish me luck," he says.

Cielo nods solemnly. "I do."

Then Fulmine slips away into a different world and all they are left with is waiting.

"It is a very powerful battle," Nebbia comments from her dark corner, eyes glazed. "I can feel the lightning reaching inside this realm."

A loud, whipping crack accompanies her words.

Sereno nods, his hairs on end. A cool has entered the realm like no other. "It's like the bad weather has seeped into this room—" He stops with a frown and turns to look over his shoulder.

Tempesta and Pioggia startle and drop their hands. The temperature rises. "Uh," Tempesta starts, caught in the act. "You're the one who talked about dramatics before!"

Sereno blinks. Very slowly. "_You_ caused the storm and rain here? It's not Fulmine?"

The Spirit of Rain steps forward, silk robes dancing around her frame and slithering like tamed snakes. "We're merely lifting the somber mood."

"You're Rain. You're supposed to represent depression," Nebbia says with a glare and shoos a dark storm cloud away.

Tempesta blinks, then turns to her accomplice. "She's right, you know?"

Pioggia kicks Tempesta in the shin.

"I am that which gives you life. Appreciate it. Besides, you came up with this prank in the first place, so please don't change sides."

Holding her hurting limb the Spirit of Storm nods. "Yes, yes."

The truth is that they're chanced creations stuck with each other for eternity and beyond. And they have to make do with it some way or the other.


	7. Brothers and Sisters

**I don't own **_****_Katekyō Hitman Reborn!_****_****.****

* * *

**Brothers and Sisters**

* * *

"It is very quiet without Tempesta around, is it not?"

Sereno purses his lips in wry amusement. "You want me to lighten up the place?"

Nebbia blinks, unfazed. "You really went out of your way to prepare that pun. I am thoroughly ashamed to call you my brother."

He laughs and rubs the back of his soft hair. Then he perks up and raises a finger in question like an obedient pupil. Nebbia looks for an escape route but she's alone in this. Cielo has wandered off to comfort a depressed Fulmine. Something about being in the possession of a very large, very mean looking man with umbrellas who keeps rambling on about an _even meaner_ man with very red eyes.

Yes, he's the first one to lose a battle. Not that the Spirits can technically lose, Nebbia has tried her best to explain that to him, but he's lost the chance at being at the _real_ Lightning Guardian's side.

Now he's hurling thunderbolts in some far-off corner of their world.

Seeing as Sereno is still waiting on her, the Spirit of Mist sighs and crosses her legs on the conjured veranda. "What is it?"

"How come I'm your brother?"

Nebbia blinks. "You've had centuries to ponder the question and you ask me now?"

"Yes!"

"Idiot."

"Hey!"

Nebbia rubs her eyes. She can feel a storm brewing at the back of her mind and this time it's not a fake one. Tempesta, true to her nature, cannot hold herself back. Nor does she want to. This reminds her of something. "I think it actually started with that woman."

Sereno inches closer to her, doing little bunny-hops as he does so. Nothing can bring his mood down. "She was constantly fighting with both Fulmine and Pioggia for an imaginary throne. One day she started blurting out that she was the eldest among the three and that she should win by default."

"Why?"

"Because rain and lightning usually accompany a storm. Therefore she has to come first."

"That means Cielo is the eldest of us, right? Is that the reason she doesn't fight him?"

Expression ever a blank one, Nebbia nods. "It would be counterproductive to destroy the one element that encompasses you as you are. Besides, the fighting was partially about gaining the position of being Cielo's right hand."

"I see! And then the rest of us just picked it up."

"Actually, it was you who said that it would be beneficial to our relationship."

His mouth makes a perfect circle. "I did? Oh, that's awesome of me!" He pauses and Nebbia takes the time to wonder how much heat he must produce to fry his own brain cells. How could he forget just like that? "Wait a second. What about Nuvola? Tempesta is always trying to throw her out..."

They turn around to glance at the sleeping form of their last so-called sibling: the Spirit of Cloud. All there is visible of the woman is a tuft of cotton candy hair. The rest of her body is curled up like a hedgehog.

Even the fearless Nebbia crawls a step back. "Let's just say that waking someone from their vacation on cloud nine hasn't been one of her greatest ideas. Nuvola chewed her up before she could so much as draw a storm." She clears her throat. "A one-sided rivalry was born. Nuvola now holds the spot of right hand by Tempesta's own rules."

"That's why she's so angry..."

"It is a horrible symbiosis, indeed."

* * *

**A/N:**

**Just imagine Ryohei and Mukuro sitting down somewhere, talking. Because I can't. Hell would (literally) break lose if they managed to exchange even one coherent sentence. And if we were to add a sleeping Hibari into the fray...  
**


	8. Calm Before the Storm

**I don't own **_****_Katekyō Hitman Reborn!_****_****.****

* * *

**Calm Before the Storm**

* * *

Fulmine has stopped hurling thunderbolts where they don't belong (after he hit Nebbia and she drew the line, that is) and is currently resting next to Nuvola's sleeping form, brooding.

He's really upset that he's lost the battle.

Then again the true Lightning Guardian is a child. No, an _infant_ even.

But he's lost and nobody can tell what that's about to bring them. Because they are not supposed to battle over dominance _at all_.

He thinks his breakdown was very reasonable.

He also thinks that Pioggia's hands are _made_ for massages.

The Rain Spirit hums to herself as she kneads away the tension from her Lightning sibling. Her presence has even caused the drowsy Nuvola to crack open one eye and inch ever so slightly closer.

Pioggia occasionally ruffles her hair. It's enough attention for Nuvola's tastes and she curls up like a hedgehog once more under the soothing administrations.

Sereno and Nebbia are off to clean up Fulmine's mess.

Cielo leans back in his chair and allows himself a moment of relaxation.

All in all it's a sight Pioggia enjoys. This is her element after all and it's been a while since they've had a moment of peace and calm.

Of course no moment is to last forever and peaceful ones come by the shortest.

There's a surprised gasp followed by a curse the moment Tempesta stumbles back into their home. For a brief moment she soars trough the sky, limbs flailing in a hapless attempt to stop her flight but to no avail:

She crashes ungracefully into a nearby lamppost.

For a moment the silence is deafening.

Then there's only noise.

"I thought these were conjured! They feel rock-solid, you creep!"

Nebbia's voice echoes from all sides when she answers. "In this world my illusions are the strongest."

"That doesn't explain shit!" Tempesta gets up and her red eyes are fuming with anger. "I'm quitting!"

Cielo sighs. There goes relaxation. "Why?" He makes an off-hand gesture in Pioggia's direction. The Spirit of Rain catches it and nods.

"Because," Tempesta spits and straightens her whole five foot four of body height to look as menacing as possible. She almost manages. "That guy is no match for G! Never ever!" She throws her hands up in the air, frustrated. "Who am I kidding? He's the _worst_. If that's all I get, I'm seriously quitting this business."

"That is not a choice you can make," Nebbia echoes again.

Tempesta shows a finger in the general direction of _everything_. "We'll see about that. Cielo," she barks at him. "Let's tear this prison to pieces and rule the world again."

"The People are dying."

"We don't need those fancy People—wait a sec. This feeling..." Before she even manages to finish the sentence her eyes roll up and she slumps to the ground. Pioggia rolls her over to the resting forms of Fulmine and Nuvola, never once stopping in her humming.

Tempesta is snoring and suddenly there's peace and calm once more.

Though Cielo is starting to worry about Pioggia's growing trophy collection.

* * *

**A/N:**

**Tempesta seems like she'd get along with Squalo. When it comes to swearing and screaming matches, that is.  
**


End file.
